Friend Date
by RisingStarlight
Summary: When K.O. accidentally asks out Dendy to the most romantic restaurant in Lakewood Plaza Turbo, he is forced to confront his feelings about her.
1. What a Lucky Day!

Chapter 1—What a Lucky Day!

"STOP IT!" K.O screeched, tears spewing out his eyes. "This is...killing me!"

"K.O., will ya quit banshee-screaming and answer the problem?"

K.O. groaned at Carol and slumped his head into the living room table, right on top of his math homework. "This is the last homework sheet I have, but I don't understand any of it..." he moaned. "Algebra," he spat, fist clenched. "It's the worst enemy I've ever faced!"

"Come on, honey, you can do it!" Carol said. She then pulled out the math sheet from beneath him and read the problem again. "If x equals 2, y equals 6, and z equals 3, what is 'xyz?'"

K.O. lifted his head, still slouching on the table, and concentrated. He hummed and stuck out his tongue as he thought, banging his pencil against his tall, spiky hair. Then he gasped and sat up straight, smiling wide. "I've got it!"

Carol grinned eagerly. "Yeah?"

"'xyz' is the last three letters in the alphabet!"

Carol froze with shock at her son's incredibly unintelligent answer. "No, no, sweetie," she said as politely as she could, "That's not correct."

"What?" K.O. whined. "UGH! This math homework makes no sense!"

In his rage, K.O. summoned a powerfist and lowered his blue, flaming hand towards the sheet of paper.

Carol gasped and immediately took K.O. by the wrist. "K.O., stop! Don't incinerate your homework!" she yelled.

The boy extinguished the flame from his hand.

"You know, you can't just powerfist every problem that comes your way!" Carol reproached.

"It works when Boxman's robots come my way," K.O. murmured.

Carol sighed with a roll of her eyes, then placed a caring hand on her son's shoulder. "Sweetie, why don't you take a break?" she said. "You've been working yourself to the bone all week with your schoolwork."

"I can't!" K.O. said. "I just have to finish this one last sheet and then I'm free for the rest of the weekend!" K.O.'s eyes shone eagerly as he said, "Free to hang out with Rad, Enid, and Mr. Gar—and Dendy!"

"Dendy?" Carol repeated. "Your little genius techy friend? But don't you see her at school every day?"

"Yeah, but we've barely talked at all this week!" K.O. replied.

The boy's mind traveled back to the past school week, when he and the kappa girl had time only to wave to each other before sitting silently in class to take pages of notes. They had tried to meet after school to study, but whatever little free time they had, K.O. gave to Gar's Bodega.

"I really want to finish my work so we can spend some time together," K.O. said with a sigh.

"Well, alright then, I'll let you get back to your work." Carol said. She gave her son a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, then stood to her feet.

Then they heard the faint, tinny sound of their mailbox opening from outside. K.O. and Carol looked out the window.

A postman with the haircut and build of Superman had placed something into their mailbox. "Mailman Man, awaaaaay!" he shouted, as he lifted his arms and ascended into the sky.

"Ooh-that must be the mail!" Carol said excitedly. "Be right back!"

Carol left the house, and a few seconds later she returned to the living room with an orange envelope in her hand. K.O. was again attempting to lower his powerfist unto his homework sheet, but when she saw him, he dropped the paper and smiled sheepishly.

"A letter came for you in the mail, sweetie," she said. She flicked her wrist and the envelope went flying out her hand to K.O, who caught it with ease.

K.O. squinted to read the address of the letter, then his eyes widened. He tore the top part of the envelope off, and out came a sheet and two small slips of paper. After reading the sheet, he gasped loudly and smiled from ear to ear.

"I won!" K.O. cheered, leaping to his feet. "I won, I won, I won!"

"Won what? What did you win?" Carol asked eagerly.

"I was randomly chosen to receive a reservation for two at a really cool restaurant in the Plaza! A totally-free three-course meal—including dessert and beverages!"

"That's fantastic, kiddo!" Carol cheered. "Hey! Why don't you use this opportunity to spend some quality time with Dendy?"

He gasped again. "You're right! I better go tell Dendy right now! Bye, Mom!" he said, dashing out the living room.

"Hey, wait!" Carol called after him. "You didn't finish your homework!" Too late, K.O. was already ninja-running down the block.

Carol smiled and sat down on the floor where her son had been working. "Oh, I guess I'll finish it for you," she said, picking the math sheet up off the table.

Her eyes widened at the incredibly complex math problems staring back at her. She slowly lowered the paper back on the table.

"Ha…looks like Algebra is my worst enemy too..."

* * *

K.O. ran excitedly down the street in pursuit of Dendy. It was fairly early in the afternoon still, so she was likely to be out.

He looked nearly everywhere for the girl. He searched in the bush she had hidden inside when they had first met and in the junkyard where she liked to take spare robot parts, but she wasn't there. Now he vigorously searched the plaza.

There she was in the main square, analyzing a leaf with her hackpack.

K.O. ran to her, making sure to hold the tickets behind his back.

"Dendy, Dendy, Dendy!" he called.

When she turned around, the typical cheer of children sounded. "Hello, K.O.."

"Dendy!" K.O. greeted. "It's been a while since we've seen each other outside of school! What with all the homework we've been having, right?"

"Yes," Dendy replied, "We had received unpleasurable amounts of work this week to do after school."

"Sooooo...I was wondering iiiiiif…" K.O. said, stretching out his words for dramatic effect, "you would like to go with me toooooo…"

Then he whipped out the two tickets in his hand and flashed them in front of her face.

"'A ramen-ticky dinner for two at Cheese Ramenticky!'"

Dendy's eyes fell on the words K.O. quoted on the tickets. They read: "A 'romantique' dinner for two at Chez Romantique."

Her eyes widened.

"I hear it's a really nice restaurant with incredible food," K.O. said, smiling, "and I was thinking we could go 'cause it'd be kind of special, 'specially since we haven't hung out this week!"

Dendy blinked.

"I wonder what 'Cheese Ramenticky means," he muttered. "Maybe it's their special meal they're known for! Cheese that tastes like ramen! And whatever 'ticky' is!"

Dendy blinked again.

"Well, do you want to go there?" K.O. asked. "The reservation is set for tomorrow night!"

It took a little while for her to unfreeze, but when she did, Dendy gave K.O. a small smile. "Yes, K.O., I would like to go with you."

"Cool!" K.O. chuckled. "See you there, friend!"

And then he dashed away.


	2. Stop the Date!

Chapter Two—Stop the Date!

It was another busy day inside Gar's Bodega, full of customers looking for power-ups and hero snacks. Inside the bodega were the two teenage workers Rad and Enid, hard at work.

Well, Rad was hard at work stocking the shelves. Enid was sitting in her typical position at the cash register with her feet on the counter, music in her ears, and her pinky up her nose. Until rushing through the door came in a certain 6-to-11-year-old hero-in-training.

"She said yes!" K.O. cheered. "Yes, yes, yes! She said yes, yes, yes!"

K.O. proceeded to dance across the bodega while singing and screaming "She said yes!" at the top of his lungs. Rad and Enid looked on with amusement as K.O. danced with whatever customer he twirled into in his routine. Then the boy ran back to Rad and Enid by the front of the store and leapt into Rad's muscular arms, making him drop the box in his hands.

"Whoa! What are you so excited about, little dude?" Rad asked.

Enid pulled out her earbuds and took her feet off the counter. "Who said yes to what?"

K.O., now sweaty from dancing, took a few seconds to catch some of his breath. "Dendy...said yes...when I asked if we could hang out tomorrow night! We're going somewhere super special!"

"That's great, K.O!" Enid said. "Where are you taking Dendy?"

K.O. leapt out of Rad's arms and landed on the counter. Then he spun around and pulled out the restaurant tickets from his inner vest pocket. "We're going to 'A 'ramenticky' dinner for two at Cheese Ramenticky!' It's going to be loads of fun!"

"Cheese Ramenticky?" Enid parroted, confused. "What the whiz kind of restaurant name is that? Can I see the tickets?"

"Sure!"

K.O. handed the sheets to Enid and she squinted at them, as Rad peered over her shoulder to look. When they read the tickets, they gasped with horror.

"YOU'RE GOING WITH DENDY TO CHEZ ROMANTIQUE?!"

K.O. wailed as the force of their yelling made him fall backwards. "Romantique?!" he exclaimed. "I-I thought it was Ramenticky…" he murmured, blushing with embarrassment. "But what's wrong? I won a free evening for two there and I wanted to use it with Dendy tomorrow. I hear it's a fun restaurant!"

"K.O.!" Enid shouted, "Chez Romantique is the most romantic restaurant in Lakewood Plaza Turbo!"

"Yeah!" Rad added, "Chez Romantique is a place for people who in are serious, hardcore love! Marriage is an option on the menu! It comes with the steak! You can't go to Chez Romantique with just a friend. You go with... _the one_."

K.O.'s eyes widened with terror. "What?! B-But Dendy and I are just friends! I don't think we're... _the ones_ for each other!" Then K.O. gasped with shock. "But Dendy was really excited when I asked her to go! Does that mean...Dendy thinks of me in a 'the one' sort of way?"

"Without a doubt. Why else would she say yes?" Rad answered. "I mean, if _I_ were Dendy and you invited _me_ to Chez Romantique, I'd immediately cut ties with you because you were coming on much too strong for my comfort."

K.O. gulped.

"Now if you're going to be Dendy's official _one,_ you'll have to take your relationship to the next level with her on your date tomorrow," Rad instructed, slinging an arm around K.O. "Dendy will be expecting you to be a smooth, charming gentleman she can trust with her heart. Then, you've gotta start thinking about marriage—and children!" K.O. squirmed as Rad whispered in his ear, "What will the name be of your firstborn son? Maybe 'K.O. Junior.' Or how about 'Shaquan?' I've personally always been fond of that name-"

Enid slid towards K.O. and bumped Rad out of her way. He screamed as he went flying into the back wall behind the counter.

"K.O., don't listen to Rad," Enid said bluntly. "He's a fool when it comes to romance. And everything else."

"Hey!" Rad retorted, stepping out of the Rad-shaped crater in the wall. "I'll have you know I'm in a relationship!"

"Yeah? With who?"

"My girlfriend...Shaquan!"

She gave the alien a seedy glare before kneeling down to K.O.'s height. "K.O., maybe this is all a misunderstanding," Enid said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Dendy might not have known that it was Chez Romantique you were taking her too—you know, cause you kind of murdered the pronunciation of the place."

"S-So what should I do?" K.O. asked.

"Talk her out of it." Enid said seriously. She stood up and turned to the wall where Rad was, eyes obscured beneath her magenta bangs. "Love hurts when you fall in it with the wrong person."

"A-alright, then!" K.O. said. "I'll talk Dendy out of the date tomorrow!" Then he headed down the aisle to begin his shift.

At that note, Enid and Rad returned to the counter and the shelves. After a short while, Enid broke the silence between them.

"Hey, Rad, I have a question."

Rad turned to her, surprised to see that she was gazing at him intently.

"Do you think if things worked out between us, we would have gone to Chez Romantique?"

Rad's eyes widened. "Uhhhhh…" he uttered, cheeks red. Then he yanked his cell phone out from his pocket. "Hey, look, I'm getting a call from Shaquan! Better answer her!"

Then he sprinted away.

Enid took chase. "HEY! Don't go avoiding the question with your stupid fake girlfriend!"


	3. Not The One!

**Risingstarlight here with chapter three of "Friend Date!" I apologize for taking so long to post...**

 **Also, thank you guys so much for the positive feedback for the past two chapters! I really appreciated it!**

 **Here we go! This chapter is more of a filler to build up to what's happening later...**

* * *

Chapter Three—Not the One!

"Where is she, where is she?" he said, frantic.

K.O. raced down the plaza square for what felt like the hundredth time. After searching _everywhere_ for Dendy, she was still yet to be found.

He had to tell her he didn't want to go Chez Romantique anymore. But how could he even do this without hurting her feelings?

Since she liked him.

Right?

 _No,_ K.O. thought. He and Dendy were simply friends, only going on a date due to his dumb misunderstanding.

Dendy did _not_ like him. Sure, Dendy acted kind of strange towards K.O., but that was who she was—showing her passion for science and technology no matter how odd she seemed.

That was one of K.O.'s favorite things about her.

He found himself at the tree where Dendy had been yesterday—and where she was _not_ at the moment.

K.O. groaned with annoyance. Where could she—

"GAAAAHH!"

His forehead collided with Dendy's when he turned around, for she had been directly behind him. K.O. stumbled backwards in pain as Dendy stood unfazed, staring at K.O. with her usual indifferent eyes.

"Greetings, K.O.," she said.

"H-hey, Dendy, what's up..." he groaned, rubbing his aching forehead. "I, um, I need to tell you something—"

"Before you do," Dendy interrupted. "I would like to ask your opinion on something important."

"Uh...sure, go ahead."

Dendy held out her hands, which had been behind her back, and showed K.O. two headbands. One was neon blue, the other neon yellow, and both had a flower on their right sides.

"Which headband do you believe is more aesthetically pleasing?"

K.O. looked at the girl with confusion. "Um...I guess this one?" he uttered, pointing to the blue headband. "Because it matches your goggles and outfit and stuff."

"Alright, then," Dendy replied, "I shall wear this headband for our endeavor tonight." She removed her hackpack from her back and placed the red headband inside.

"Um...about tonight, Dendy," K.O. said, smiling awkwardly, "you do know _Chez Romantique_ is the restaurant I asked you to go with me to?"

"Yes," Dendy answered, smiling. "I noticed yesterday when you showed me the tickets that you pronounced the restaurant's name quite incorrectly."

"Yeah…" K.O. laughed. But then he gulped, braced himself, and said it:

"And…you still _want_ to go tonight?"

K.O. stared at her, pleading with his eyes for her to decline. But Dendy nodded firmly, smile gone.

"Yes, I would still very much like to go with you, K.O.. I am quite excited for our evening tonight."

K.O. went silent. "Oh," he said, after several seconds. "Well, that's...awesome! See you tonight, friend!"

Then he left.

"See you tonight!" Dendy shouted. She waved with her headband in hand to K.O. in the distance—for he had already sprinted away as fast as he could.

* * *

"Ohh, I am itching to practice my new ninja move on a Boxman bot!" Enid cheered, mouth full of chips. She and Rad sat together at an outside cafe in the plaza, eating lightning nachos and drinking hero punch.

Enid shook their table vigorously as she acted out her fighting combo. "First, I punch the person in the air, then I superjump and kick 'em even higher! Then I disappear in a cloud of smoke, appearing right behind the person in midair, and—POW!—slam 'em into the ground!"

"That is so interesting, Enid..." Rad said, nose into his phone. "Like, actually, it's absolutely riveting..."

"Rad. Are you even listening to me?"

"Nope!" the alien answered, grinning. "I'm busy texting Shaquan."

Enid rolled her eyes intensely. "Rad, give it up. Shaquan is nonexistent."

"Says you!" Rad replied.

"Says reality."

Rad huffed loudly as he returned to his phone. Enid vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving a log in her chair, and appeared behind Rad to peer at his phone screen.

"I knew it! You're not even texting anyone! You're just scrolling back and forth through your home screen pages!"

"HEY! Q-Quit invading my privacy!" Rad yelled, pushing Enid away from him. The girl retaliated by elbowing his arm away and attempting to pry his phone from his hands. Then they went at it, punching and kicking each other in a cartoony cloud.

"You guuuuuuuys!"

Rad and Enid froze at the sound of K.O.'s voice. Then they returned to their seats, putting off their bickering for the moment, as K.O. came running to them.

"Hey, K.O., what's the matter?" Enid asked.

"Yeah, tell us what's up, little dude!"

"Hey, you guys," K.O. greeted glumly, "I have a problem—Dendy _knew_ I had asked her out to Chez Romantique! And I tried to talk her out of going, but she said she still wants to go!"

"Really?" Enid said, eyes widened with surprise. "K.O., do you know what this means? Dendy must really have feelings for you."

Her words hit him like a punch in the gut. Dendy _had feelings_ for him. After all this time he spent with Dendy and believed them to be the best of friends, she had wanted more than that.

"But I don't like her back!" K.O. shouted. "N-not like that..." It felt terrible to say, but it was true. "What should I do?"

Enid answered with a shrug. "I don't think there's anything you can do but go on the date with her, K.O."

"What?!" K.O. yelled, face growing hot. "B-but I can't-"

"K.O., you invited Dendy to a date at Chez Romantique and tried to talk her out of it, but it didn't work," Enid said, voice surprisingly stern. "You're going to have to face this."

The only response he could make was a slow, desperate head shake. K.O. looked to Rad but the alien gave him a look similar to Enid's.

"Sorry, little dude, looks like there's no take-backsies for you anymore," Rad said coolly. "You're going to have to give Dendy the best time of her life tonight—since she sees you as the _one_ for her and all." Rad paused to take a long sip from his hero punch. "Because if you don't, Dendy will never want to speak to you again and your relationship will be irreparably destroyed."

"What?!" K.O. screeched. "What do you mean?!"

"Little dude, we weren't kidding when we said Chez Romantique was serious business! If Dendy even thinks tonight that you don't have feelings for her back, she'll think you asked her out only to lead her on and crush her heart!"

"Oh no! I don't want to hurt Dendy's feelings!" K.O. buried his face in his hands, eyes filling with tears. "Ugh, if I had known this restaurant was so serious, I wouldn't have asked Dendy to go..."

Enid and Rad exchanged sympathetic glances. "I'm really sorry about this, K.O.," Enid said.

"But hey, look at the bright side!" Rad cheered, flashing a sharp-toothed smile. "Your firstborn son is going to be one heck of a genius if he inherits Dendy's smarts."

* * *

He stood at the Lakewood Plaza Bridge in silence. The tickets in his hand blew gently in the afternoon wind.

 _I really have to face this?_ K.O. thought, parroting Enid's words.

He still couldn't believe it. He had asked Dendy out on a date—a real romantic date—and she said yes. Because she _liked_ him. And now he had to somehow like her back as more than a friend—otherwise they couldn't be friends anymore.

"Oh, I just can't do this!" K.O. shouted. "I'm sorry, Dendy, But I'm not your 'the one!'"

K.O. squeezed his eyes shut as he crumpled up the tickets to Chez Romantique into a ball, hurling it off the edge of the bridge. The wind came to blow the ball far away into the horizon. K.O sighed with relief and went on his way.

As he walked, a fierce gust of wind whipped right through him. K.O. flinched as he felt something crash into his cheek and fall into his hand.

It was the crumpled ball. The wind blew again and separated the ball back into two tickets, perfectly uncrumpled.

"What?" K.O. uttered to the sheets in his hand. Then he stared at them with fierce determination.

He would bury them.

K.O. ran to the forest area of town and did his deed. Then he headed back to the plaza, conscience clear. He would call Dendy later and tell her the tickets were lost in some freak accident. He hated lying, but it was better than potentially hurting Dendy's feelings and their friendship.

A little dinosaur bird squawked at K.O.'s feet, taking him out of his thoughts. K.O. chuckled when it hopped around him and ran in between his legs, and he knelt down to pet the creature.

From up close, he noticed that the bird was covered in patches of dirt. And there was something in its mouth that it dropped into K.O.'s hand.

The tickets.

"No!" K.O. yelled. He got to his feet and ran away blindly. "Ugh, I don't want to go to Chez Romantique anymore!"

"You're going to Chez Romantique?!" he heard someone say behind him. The four-armed woman from his mother's dojo. "That is so adorable! Little K.O. has already found love!"

"I got married at Chez Romantique!" another dojo woman added. "We said 'I do' as we ate the steak…"

"I went to Chez Romantique with a girl!" he heard some man say from behind. "But she dumped me, because she knew I didn't like her the way she liked me! And she's shunned me ever since..."

K.O. screamed and ran down the street even faster. He tried even more methods to rid himself of the horrid tickets, but they kept returning in perfect condition, while more people praised him for his upcoming date.

He slowed to a stop when he could run no more, and tightened his fist around the tickets. "Alright," K.O. huffed, "That's it."

A blue fire ignited his opposite hand.

"I'm powerfisting this problem away!"

He lowered his flaming hand to the tickets. Just when the fire was about to touch the sheets, K.O. was drenched by a wave of water.

K.O. roared with fury and looked above him where the water had come from. There was Crinkly Wrinkly standing from the balcony of a building, dancing with a hose in his hand as he watered the street below.

He sighed heavily as he shoved the tickets into his pocket. With his head down, K.O. trudged home to prepare for his date.

* * *

 **Aww, poor K.O….**

 **This story is about halfway done now. And the date will be coming soon!**

 **Also, I was asked if I ship Rad and Enid, and I wouldn't say I do, but they do have a humorous dynamic together. And it is true, they totally could have worked as a couple if Rad just acted like himself on that one date.**


	4. Getting Ready

**Hello! I have returned! RisingStarlight is back with chapter 4 of "Friend Date!"**

 **Thank you again for the positive feedback for this story, and I hope you find this chapter enjoyable!**

* * *

Chapter 4—Getting Ready

The house door slammed open.

Carol jolted up from the living room couch, startled. In came K.O., sopping wet.

"K.O.!" she shouted.

"Hi, Mommy…" he groaned.

Carol turned off the TV and rushed to hug him. "W-What happened to you? Why are you all wet?" she asked, frantic. Then she groaned with irritation. "It was Crinkly Wrinkly, wasn't it…He needs to quit it with those hose attacks!"

Then Carol noticed K.O.'s extremely pouty, teary face.

"Aww, sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked. She carried her son over to the couch and sat down, plopping him next to her. "Let's talk about it."

"W-well, I have a problem, Mommy..." K.O. murmured.

Carol gasped. "What is it? Someone's bothering you at school? Or is it Boxman again?"

"No, no, no!" K.O. shouted, shrinking beneath his mother's fiery glare. "I-It's actually a different kind of problem. About... _romance._ "

Carol's eyes widened. "Oh!" she said, after a brief pause. "Okay...Well, K.O., tell me what your problem is about... _romance._ "

"Well, I've been thinking...is it possible for you to go Chez Romantique with just a friend?"

K.O. opened his eyes after hearing no response. His mother was giving him a look mixed with surprise and confusion.

"I-I don't just mean 'go with just a friend,'" he added, "I mean the friend likes you and thinks that you're _the one_ for them, but you don't really like the friend back in that kind of way, but you really _really_ don't want to hurt the friend's feelings and ruin the friendship you have, and—"

Carol broke into laughter at her son, who was now beginning to blush. "K.O., of course you can go with a friend to Chez Romantique!"

K.O.'s face lit up. "Really? Whew, what a huge relief—"

"But there's something guaranteed for sure!"

K.O. turned to his mother, who now gave him a big grin.

"You don't leave as friends!" she said, "Or at least not in the same way you were friends before."

"R-Really?"

Carol nodded. "Sometimes, you may think you're just friends with someone until you realize what you feel is more than that. I think a date at Chez Romantique can help you figure that out. It's really an amazing restaurant."

"Oh..." K.O. said quietly.

Carol let out another laugh. "You know your father and I went to Chez Romantique?" she said.

"What?! No way!" K.O. shouted.

"Yeah, we went when we were a little older than you are now. Now, your father didn't like me very much in the beginning, but after we went on a date at Chez Romantique, everything clicked. And then we both knew how we felt about each other."

K.O. mulled over his mother's words in silence. "But...what if you tried really hard to stay friends with someone—even if you go to Chez Romantique with them?"

"Hmmmm," Carol thought, placing a finger on her chin. "Well, I guess if you tried hard enough, you could leave with your relationship intact."

"Yes! Thanks, Mom!" K.O. cheered, springing off the couch. "Now I feel a little better about my date with Dendy tonight at Chez Romantique!"

"Oh, that's nice, K.O..," Carol chuckled, "I'm glad I could—DATE WITH DENDY?!" she bellowed. "AT CHEZ ROMANTIQUE?!"

"Mm-hmm!" K.O. nodded, heading upstairs.

"What? How did you even get reservations—Was it those tickets in the mail you got yesterday?! K.O., WAIT!"

Too, late, he was already in his bedroom.

Carol groaned with dismay as she slumped back onto the couch, tears wiggling down her cheeks.

* * *

His spirits sank as soon he stared at his closet.

"Aww, man, I have no idea what to wear…" K.O. groaned.

Then the doorbell rang downstairs. Soon after, slow footsteps pounded upstairs towards his room. His door opened, and behind it was a smiling Radicles.

"Hey, little dude!"

"Rad!" K.O. cheered. "What are you doing here?"

"I decided to come help you get ready for your date tonight—you know, to help make sure things work out with you and Dendy and all. You know what you're going to wear?"

"Not at all," K.O. replied.

Then Rad smirked and put his hands on his hips. "And that's why you're very fortunate to have the dating master in your presence! Enid thinks I know nothing about high fashion, but believe me, you will look so great on this date—"  
He froze when he opened K.O.'s closet.

On the hanger rack were countless white tank tops and blue shorts, and above on a shelf were piles upon piles of purple leg warmers and red sweatbands.

"What the—K.O., this is all you have in your closet? A billion copies of the same outfit?!"

K.O. shrugged. "I guess so!"

"And where are your shoes?!"

"What shoes?"

"So _that's_ why you're barefoot all the time," Rad whispered.

Then he delved into K.O.'s closet, pushing through the walls of tank tops and pants in search of clothing. "Come on, there's gotta be _something_ fancy in here…" Rad said. He lazily tossed behind him any comic books and toys in his way, that K.O. dodged frantically.

"Ah-ha! I found something! Try this on for size, little dude!"

K.O. unshielded himself and saw the white button-down shirt in Rad's hands. He took it eagerly and threw it on over his back. Immediately, the shirt squeezed him from behind. K.O. strained to get his hands on the buttons, until his elbows broke through the sleeves with a loud tearing noise.

"It's too small," K.O. uttered. "But I think can fix it!"

He grabbed the damaged left sleeve of his shirt and tugged it clean off, then did the same for the other side.

"Ahh, that's better!"

"Nice," Rad commented to K.O.'s now sleeveless dress shirt.

The alien returned to the closet. Suddenly, his eyes were hit with a bright light, shining from within the stacks of leg warmers. Rad reached for it and realized the light came from a piece of clothing. He pried it out and shook off its layers of dust.

"Hey, K.O., take a look at this."

In Rad's hands was a large gray vest. Three jet black buttons fell down its right side, and on its back was an insignia of a muscular fist embroidered in gold, so realistic it appeared to punch through the fabric itself.

K.O.'s eyes widened once he saw it. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I forgot about this! This is my dad's vest."

Rad froze. "What? Your...dad's?"

K.O. nodded with a smile. "It's funny because my mom was talking to me earlier about a date she went on with my dad, and I think he wore this very vest! I guess I should wear it tonight for the occasion. It's...the only thing I have of his."

Rad looked at K.O. uneasily as he handed him the treasured vest. K.O. hummed to himself as he put it on and buttoned it up. Rad then stooped down to put a red bow-tie around K.O.'s collar.

"Oh, K.O., you are looking super fresh!" Rad cheered.

K.O. turned to look at himself in the mirror. "Whoa!"

His muscles bulged through his sleeveless dress shirt, while his father's vest made him appear to be bold and dangerous. Rad's bowtie also matched with his sweatbands, creating a casual element to his classiness that made up for his lack of shoes.

"Oh, wait, K.O.," Rad said, "There's one more thing you need to complete your look."

Rad proceeded to lick his blue palm vigorously until slobber dripped from his hand, and shoved it through K.O.'s hair. The boy's tall, spiky hair resisted Rad's force, but Rad eventually slicked it back, giving K.O. a pompadour at the top of his head.

"Amazing!" K.O. laughed, eyeing his hairdo in the mirror. "Wow, thanks so much for helping me get ready for tonight, Rad!"

"Ah, don't mention it," Rad replied with a shrug. "Just know that Dendy will find you irresistible in that outfit—which will only ensure that you and her will be bound together forever."

A twinge rose in his chest. "About that, Rad..." K.O. laughed, "I think I'm just going to be normal with Dendy tonight! My mom says if you try really hard, you can go to Chez Romantique with someone as a friend and just stay friends."

Suddenly Rad became cold. He looked away from the boy with uninterested eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"K.O., stop. Don't risk it," he said. "You're better off just being super lovey-dovey tonight."

"What?" K.O. shouted. "But I really don't think it would be fair to Dendy if I acted like something I'm not—"

"Just trust me, K.O.!" he yelled, looming over the boy. "Make Dendy feel special! Give her flowers! Hold her hand! Complement her! All that stuff!"

Rad turned away when he saw the fearful look in K.O.'s eyes. Then he took his phone out from his pocket.

He unlocked the screen and a picture pulled up of Enid and him when they were preteens. Rad was skinny as a stick and Enid wore her large coat and ninja headband. He had an arm wrapped around her as he winked at the camera, while Enid grinned widely at him.

"I've learned the hard way that if you don't treat a girl right, you lose her."

"Okay, then. I'll do it," K.O. said quietly. "I'll act lovey-dovey with Dendy tonight."

Rad put his phone away and smiled. "Now that's what I want to hear! Alright, let's go! I'll drive you there."

"Woohoo…" K.O said with a weakly raised fist. He walked alongside Rad as they left his room.

"And remember when you're kissing her to lean to your right."

He stopped in his tracks. Slowly, K.O. turned around, revealing his completely pink face.

"WHAAAT?!" he shrieked.

"Of course you've gotta kiss Dendy on your date tonight!" Rad replied. "That'll show her how you really feel and will make the date go perfectly—guaranteed."

"B-B-B-B-But Rad, I-I-I c-can't—"

"Oh, come on! Let's go! You don't want to be late!"

Rad took the frozen K.O. into his arms and ran downstairs. The boy clutched desperately onto the railing behind him, but he was yanked down to the living room.

"We're off, Ms. K.O.'s mom!" Rad shouted to Carol on the couch.

"Have a nice time!" she responded. "At...Chez Romantique..."

K.O. was still trembling and stuttering when Rad tossed him into his van, now squeezing the bottom of his car seat. Rad put on his seatbelt for him before taking hold of the steering wheel.

"Yeah, K.O-dy!" he shouted with an upraised fist, as he drove down the block. "Or would it be Dend-K.O.? Nah, there's really no cool way to combine your names into a couple shipping..."

* * *

 **The buildup is over! The date will begin in the next chapter.**

 **I was also asked something really interesting—if K.O.'s failed attempts to get rid of the Chez Romantique tickets were initiated by K.O.'s and Dendy's future children! That is a really cool idea that I had never thought of before. I saw K.O.'s situation as more of a series of ridiculous conveniences, but it could be the reason if you believe so! The chapter does not specify.**

 **~RisingStarlight**


	5. The Date

**Hello! RisingStarlight here!**

 **I apologize SO MUCH for taking super long to update this story. A lot has happened in my life over the past few months, and I've been pretty busy with school and family lately. However, I never stopped thinking about this story.** **I've been working on it this whole time, but I afraid at times to go back to this story out of the fear that it wouldn't be good enough. But I have gotten over that fear and am nearly done with the final chapter of the story! The next and final update for the story will not take nearly as long as this update.**

 **Also, important note: I have made an important edit to the ending of chapter 4, specifically in Rad's conversation with K.O. towards the very end of the chapter. I highly recommend you reread this part before moving ahead.**

 **Thank all you again for your positive feedback and support of this fanfic.**

 **Here we go!**

* * *

Chapter Five—The Date

K.O. stared out the car window.

Chez Romantique loomed above him. The cursive letters on its sign were large and intimidating. Beneath the restaurant's title was the slogan, "Where love is born and lasts forever."

He gulped.

"Remember what I said, K.O.," Rad said from the driver's seat. "Super. Lovey. Dovey."

"R-Right!" K.O. replied. "If Dendy wants us to be more than friends, then I'll be the best more-than-friend ever!"

K.O. left the van and walked towards the restaurant entrance while Rad drove out of sight. As he waited, he took deep breaths to calm his pounding heart.

Then a green, leaf-shaped convertible pulled up on the street. Dendy's parents were inside and they waved to K.O. in the distance.

"Hey, there, K.O!" they shouted.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Dendy's parents!" K.O. laughed, waving back.

And then he saw her.

Dendy stepped out of the car in a sparkling yellow dress, its blue sash tied in a neat bow at her back. On top, she wore a light blue sweater, matching with the blue headband in her hair that she had shown him earlier. But what shocked K.O. the most was that Dendy was not wearing her goggles, and she walked towards him with pretty, dark eyes.

"Hello, K.O.," Dendy greeted.

" _D-Dendy!"_ K.O. uttered. "Wow, y-you look... _really_ nice..."

Then, suddenly, K.O. remembered: _Super. Lovey. Dovey._

"I mean, uh…Good evening, my sweet," K.O. cooed, lowering his voice. With a flip of his hair, he dropped to one knee, took Dendy's hand, and kissed it. "You look absolutely _radish_ _ing_ this evening," he added with a smirk.

Dendy's eyes widened. "Why, thank you, K.O.," she replied, "You are also looking quite dapper yourself."

"Oh-ho-ho! Now don't you two just look adorable!"

"Like the perfect couple, if I do say so myself!"

K.O. and Dendy froze. They glanced over at Dendy's parents, who still sat parked in their car, watching intently.

"Mother and father, you may leave now..." Dendy sang, grimacing.

"Oh, alright, sweetie!" Dendy's mother groaned, "We know when we're ruining the mood!"

"You have a wonderful time now!" Dendy's father added.

And then they sped off.

"Well," K.O. said, standing to his feet. "shall we go inside?" He held out a bent arm to the girl.

"Indeed," Dendy answered, linking her arm around his. Together, the two walked down the stone path and through the restaurant's revolving door entrance.

"Oh, my," Dendy whispered.

"Wowee," K.O. said.

They were met by the largest, most beautiful dining hall they had ever seen. On the cream-colored walls were beautiful paintings of roses and sunsets. In the midst of the burgundy carpeted floor was a large dance floor and wooden stage. The ceiling above sparkled in the light of an enormous, ornate chandelier.

"Welcome to Chez Romantique, young couple!" a voice shouted from above.

K.O. and Dendy looked up to see Cupid soaring above them. He glided down to the counter in front of K.O. and Dendy and opened his eyes, revealing the pink heart in his left eye.

"Cupid?" K.O. gasped. "Wow! I didn't know you worked at Chez Romantique!"

The rugged angel shook his head. "K.O., I don't _work_ here at Chez Romantique," he said, "I'm the manager of this establishment. Running this restaurant is one of the ways I help people find their true loves for each other." Then he held out a muscular hand and asked, "May I see your tickets?"

K.O. handed the angel the Chez Romantique tickets from his vest pocket, and Cupid scanned the barcodes with his Eye of Love You.

"I'm very surprised you ended up being our contest winner, K.O.," Cupid said. "And that you brought Dendy here as your date."

K.O. stiffened. Immediately, he yanked Dendy to his side, smushing her face against his. "W-Well, believe it, Cupid!" he shouted firmly. "I like Dendy! A lot! And she agreed to come to Chez Romantique with me! Isn't that right, Dendy?"

"That is correct," she answered.

Cupid's surprised expression softened into amusement. "Alright, if you say so," he chuckled. "Now let's get this evening started."

The angel clapped his hands twice and shouted, "Amor! Rosetta!"

Immediately two tall, thin angels with magenta skin flew down to Cupid's sides. One was male, the other female, and both had matching short, blonde hair and white togas.

" _Oui_ , sir?" they asked, with heavy French accents.

Cupid outstretched his hand to K.O. and Dendy. "Please tend to this young couple for the night."

" _Oui_ , sir!" they replied, saluting.

The two angels each took K.O. and Dendy by the elbows and fluttered over to the sole table in the back of the room, pulling out the table chairs and placing them into their seats.

"Please wait _un moment_ as I retrieve your menus!" Amor said with a bow. After he rushed off, Rosetta pulled out a pink, heart shaped-violin and played. Two seconds later, Amor returned, placed two glasses of water down on the table, and gave menus to the two.

"What would you like to order, _mes amies_?" he asked.

K.O. scrolled down the list of romantic appetizers. "'Let's see…'apple of my eye' slices, 'wind beneath my' boneless wings—Oh! I'll have the 'forget-me-not'-zarella sticks, please!"

"I would like that as well," Dendy added.

"Let's share our appetizer, then!" K.O. shouted. "That would be much more romantic!"

"Alright, then! One order of _les_ forget-me-notzarella sticks, coming up!" Amor shouted, before flying off to the kitchen.

"Oh, I almost forgot, beautiful Dendy dear!" K.O. shouted. "I have a gift for you."

Dendy watched curiously as K.O. fished around inside his vest pocket. After a few seconds, he pulled out a glistening rose.

"A flower as beautiful and unique as you are!" K.O. cheered.

Dendy's face lit up as she took the rose. "Thank you very much, K.O. This is very thoughtful of you."

As she felt the rose around with her fingers, her smile faltered. Dendy looked closer at the flower and saw a price tag at the stem that said:

"GAR'S BODEGA PLASTIK ROSE: 12 CENTS"

Amor then returned to the table with a bowl of blue and purple mozzarella sticks with yellow-colored tips.

"Your forget-me-notzarella sticks, _monsieur_ and _madame_!"

"Thank you," K.O. and Dendy chimed.

K.O. reached over the table to take the first mozarella stick and took a bite of chewy, cheesy goodness. "Mmm! So good!" he cheered. K.O. "Have some, Dendy, sweetie!"

He held out his half-eaten mozzarella stick towards Dendy's face.

"K.O., I am perfectly capable of eating by myself," Dendy replied. When she reached for the bowl of food, K.O. pulled it away from her.

"N-No, let me feed you!" K.O. assured, pushing his mozzarella stick forward.

Dendy turned away, shielding her mouth with an arm. "That will not be necessary, K.O."

"Come on, Dendy, it's more romantic that way!"

"No, thank you."

"Dendy, come on!" K.O. huffed. "It's more _ROMANTIC—"_

Amor and Rosetta gasped.

K.O. had shoved his mozzarella stick in the center of Dendy's forehead, leaving a large gooey, grease mark. Then it oozed off her forehead and fell on her dress, leaving another stain.

"Oh my gosh! Dendy, I am so sorry!" K.O. wailed. He took a napkin from the table and reached over to wipe her forehead. In his rush, he knocked over Dendy's glass of water, which rushed in a wave off the table and splattered on the skirt of her dress. Dendy's mouth fell open in silent horror.

"Oh, no! I-I can fix this—"

Amor yanked him away from the table and set him down on the floor.

"Allow me to take care of the mess here!" he said, smiling widely. "While I do that, why don't you two dance on the dance floor?"

"Yeah! Th-That sounds like a good idea!" K.O. said.

Rosetta rushed to the sound system on the dance floor's stage. She placed a record on the player and turned the speakers up.

Slow, classical music boomed around the room. K.O. slowly looked over to Dendy.

"W-Would you give me the pleasure of dancing with you?" he asked.

Dendy looked at him intently. "The tempo of this song permits the partners to be very close to one another."

"Well, yeah! Come on! I-It'll be fun!"

He took her by the wrist to the dance floor.

Dendy watched K.O. intently as he slowly placed a hand on her waist. She put a hand on his shoulder and they interlocked opposite hands and swayed to the music.

 _Come on, K.O., you can't mess this up!_ K.O. yelled in his thoughts.

"Your hand is very moist, K.O." Dendy commented. "And you seem to be perspiring profusely."

K.O. put on a shaky smirk. "Uhh…it's because your beauty is so radiant, my dear..."

The music swelled and K.O. dipped Dendy, his arm hovering near her face. Dendy choked, catching a whiff of his armpit sweat. K.O. panicked and tried to yank Dendy back to her feet, but she slipped out of his wet grasp and fell to the floor.

"Dendy!" K.O. cried, helping the girl up. "Are you oka—"

"I am fine, K.O.."

Rosetta cringed at the sight from the deejay station. She caught eyes with Amor, who was making a similar face from the dining table. Immediately, the two raced to each other.

"What do we do, Amor? This is an emergency!" Rosetta wailed. "Never have I laid eyes upon a date so…awkward!"

Amor furrowed his eyebrows in thought, twirling the end of his handlebar mustache. "I've got it!" he shouted with a snap. " _Le_ rooftop!"

"You're right!" Rosetta gasped. "That helps even the worst dates go smoothly!"

The two angels zoomed to the dance floor. Dendy was still lying on the ground, not accepting the hand K.O. held out to help her up.

"How would the lovely couple like to watch the stars on the roof?" Amor and Rosetta asked simultaneously.

"That sounds great!" K.O. replied. "W-Would you like to watch the stars, my dear...dearest?" he asked, smiling down at Dendy.

"Alright," Dendy huffed.


	6. The Friend Date

**Hello, everyone! I am back with the FINAL chapter of "Friend Date!" At last, we find out what happens next on K.O. and Dendy's date!**

 **Thank you all so much for sticking around this long. And to make up for updating so late—I have a special surprise to announce at the end of the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 6—The Friend Date

They walked to the rooftop in silence. Rosetta led the way up the long spiral staircase and Dendy was close behind her. Meanwhile, K.O. trudged in the back.

"H-Have I mentioned how beautiful you look tonight, Dendy deary?" he said sheepishly.

"Several times," Dendy replied.

"Ha ha, right…"

K.O. dodged the water droplets that seeped from Dendy's dress onto the stairs in front of him. Immediately, he remembered his humiliating spill on her earlier. Slowly, K.O. stuck his head out to get a glimpse at Dendy in front of him.

She didn't look like she was having a good time.

"Here we are— _le_ rooftop!" Rosetta sang, as they stopped at the top of the stairwell. She pulled out a golden key from the pocket of her toga, unlocked the door, and heaved it open.

Dendy stood motionless in the doorway. When K.O. rushed up the last few steps after her to see, he too froze at the sight.

The rooftop looked like something out of a fairytale, covered in flowers and lights everywhere. Pink loveseats were arranged across the brick back wall with large rose hedges in between them. Across from there was the decorative balcony railing with hearts and vines patterned in between each bar. Together, K.O. and Dendy walked in the space, captivated by its wonder.

"I've leave you two alone for now," Rosetta whispered, as she slowly closed the door behind her.

K.O. was mesmerized by the lights, which floated around him as he moved. From up close, he could see that they were actually pink fireflies dancing about, each in a pair.

"And I thought the _inside_ of Chez Romantique was nice!" he whispered.

"K.O—Come look!" Dendy shouted.

She was at the railing, looking at K.O. with an inviting smile. As he came over, K.O.'s eyes widened at the approaching view.

From where they stood, all of Lakewood Plaza Turbo could be seen out on the horizon. The flashing store signs and scattered house lights glimmered like the stars in the clear, endless sky. K.O. and Dendy stood there for a while, lost in the sights. Until Dendy gasped, breaking their silence.

"What is it?" K.O. asked.

I just realized that Sirius is visible tonight!" she said eagerly.

"Sirius? Who's that?" K.O. said. He looked around the rooftop, then down on the street below. "I don't see anyone here but us!"

Dendy chuckled. "Sirius is not a person, K.O. It is a star."

She pointed at it in the sky. K.O. leaned towards Dendy to follow her finger and found a blue star glimmering uniquely from the thousands around it.

"It's so pretty!" K.O. exclaimed.

Dendy nodded. "Sirius is the brightest star that can be seen from our planet."

"A star that's brighter than all the others?" K.O. repeated. "That's so cool!" he shouted. "I bet all the other stars look up to Sirius as a hero, hoping they can shine that bright one day!"

Dendy giggled quietly at K.O, who now posed heroically towards the sky. He dropped his stance as soon as he noticed her laughter.

"What's so funny?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

Dendy looked off to the flowery wall behind them. "Oh, it is nothing…"

"Come on, tell me!" K.O. replied, now laughing too.

"Well," Dendy said, "it's just that it makes sense you would think of Sirius in that way, K.O.. Your passion to be the greatest hero is apparent in everything you do!"

As she laughed again, K.O. felt a rush of heat in his cheeks. "Y-Yeah!" he chuckled. "I guess you're right…"

They looked back to the stars yet again, and the small smile on K.O.'s face faded away.

"Um...Dendy?" he said, "I, uh…just want to apologize for everything that's happened tonight. I got your dress all dirty and dropped you when we tried to dance…" he murmured. "I bet you're having a terrible night. And it's all my fault..."

Dendy said nothing as she stared at him. K.O. turned away and slumped against the guardrail with his arms crossed.

"That is not true, K.O."

"Huh?" he uttered, now sitting up.

"It is not true that I am having a terrible night," Dendy repeated. "Although many things tonight have not gone as I expected," Dendy said, glancing down at her greasy, wet dress, "tonight has been just fine. I am enjoying myself."

K.O. furrowed his eyebrows at her. "You really mean that, Dendy?"

She nodded firmly.

His heart thudded wildly his chest. "Then I think I know how to make tonight perfect."

He took Dendy by the hands. Slowly, K.O. leaned in close, seeing the surprise on Dendy's face for only a moment before he closed his eyes and brought his lips towards hers.

"K.O., stop."

He did, about a centimeter from her mouth. Immediately, he opened his eyes to see the firm expression on Dendy's face.

"Dendy…" K.O. said, almost in a whisper, "Y-You…don't want us to kiss?"

She shook her head. "No, K.O., I do not."

His heart shattered. K.O. tried his best to fight back the tears in his eyes, but they poured down his face in fat streams.

"Oh no, I ruined everything!" he wailed. K.O. broke down on his knees, sobbing hysterically.

Dendy gawked at him, both with sympathy and confusion. "What do you mean, K.O.?" she uttered.

He lifted up his tear-stricken, boogery face from his hands. "I-I'm supposed to b-be your 'the one', b-but I f-failed 'cause y-you don't w-want m-me to k-kiss you! And n-now we'll n-never get m-married and name our f-firstborn son 'K.O. Shaquan Junior!' And now we can't even be friends!" he screamed, sobbing even harder.

"K.O., I don't understand…"

"W-Well, I know th-that you l-like me and all and you w-want me to be y-your 'one', so I tr-tried really h-hard to like you the s-same w-way!"

"K.O….is that why you have been acting so strangely all this time? You believed that I was romantically interested in you?"

"Well, yeah! I in-invited you to Chez R-Romantique just s-so we could just h-hang out and st-stuff, but everyone w-was saying how b-big of a d-deal it w-was that you agreed...and th-that y-you _love_ me!"

"Love?!" Dendy squawked. She then cleared her throat and took a deep breath, before getting down on her knees to place a hand on K.O.'s shoulder. He looked up at her, eyes and nose still dripping.

"K.O.," she said gently, "I knew that due to our platonic relationship, an invitation from you to Chez Romantique would never imply any romantic intentions. _That_ is why I didn't want us to kiss. I am happy with our relationship as it is: a friendship—and a strong one at that."

K.O.'s teary eyes glistened as he stared at her. "Do you really mean that, Dendy?" he said between sniffles.

"Yes, I do," she answered.

"Oh, what a relief!" K.O. shouted, smiling through his tears. Dendy gently patted him on the back as he wiped his eyes with his armbands.

"Although, K.O.…" Dendy added with a chuckle, "you must admit that it is highly inappropriate to invite a friend to a restaurant such as this."

K.O. squinted as he mulled over her words. "But if that's the case…why didn't you just turn me down when I first asked you, Dendy? We could have found some other place to hang out together, you know."

Dendy's eyes widened. "Um, w-well..." she laughed, "Chez Romantique is a very difficult restaurant to even get reservations to, let alone have a three-course meal there for free! I-I didn't want to let this opportunity pass you by..."

"Oh, okay!" K.O. chuckled. "And…is it also okay if we forget that almost-kiss ever happened?" he asked shyly.

"Of course," Dendy said.

As they stood up, Dendy pulled her hackpack off her shoulders and tapped a button on its side, activating a tissue dispenser. She pulled one out and handed it to K.O., and he blew his nose with a noisy honk.

"Alright! Now let's just enjoy the rest of this night together _as friends_ _!"_

* * *

K.O. and Dendy went back downstairs and had the main course: pasta. Neither of them ordered the steak special. As they chatted, Amor came by with their complementary desserts.

"Here you are, _monsieur_ and _madame!_ The finest dessert on our menu!"

He placed down two beautiful slices of cake on the table. In between the layers of vanilla was a creamy, cheesy center.

"Cheesecake—made with our special 'Ramenticky' cheese!"

"Yes, I knew it!" K.O. cheered. "Ramenticky cheese _is_ a real thing!"

They both proceeded to gobble their cakes at lightning speed. Until Dendy called to K.O. from across the table:

"K.O., there is something important I wish to relay to you."

"Yeh, Deh-dee?" he said, voice muffled with cake. Then he swallowed it all with a loud gulp. "What is it?"

Dendy looked around shiftily, then leaned towards him to whisper, "You must come closer."

K.O. scooted forward in his chair.

"Closer…" Dendy said.

K.O. did as she said, until his face was but a few inches away from hers.

"Okay, Dendy! What do you have to tell—"

She pushed her sporkful of cake onto his on his nose.

"You have frosting on your face," she said slyly.

"Oh, you got me!" K.O. chuckled. "Now take this!"

He reached back for his cake-filled spork on the table and pushed it out towards Dendy, who leaned out of the way and came back to chomp the cake on it.

"Wha—hey! That was my last piece of cake!" K.O. shouted. "Ooh, I'm gonna get you for that, Dendy!" he shouted.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Dendy giggled, running away.

K.O. laughed and took chase after her, wiping the cake off his nose with his arm.

Cupid, Amor, and Rosetta all watched from behind the order counter. Then they looked at each other, exchanging amused smiles.

* * *

Rosetta returned to the deejay station and blasted a bubbly pop song across the room. Dendy swayed back and forth to the music while K.O. moonwalked and shimmied across the floor.

"You are much more proficient at dancing at this tempo, K.O!" Dendy shouted.

"Thanks!" K.O. replied with a grin. "In a way, dancing is kinda like fighting! You have to move to your own rhythm!"

Dendy watched in awe as K.O. twirled around the room while punching and kicking to the beat of the song. Then he slid his way down the dance floor back to Dendy and bowed while outstretching a hand to her.

"May I?" he asked.

She accepted, and they laughed as they spun around together.

* * *

They took a break on the roof to watch the stars yet again.

"And that is Orion's Belt," Dendy stated, pointing to the three stars arranged in a diagonal.

"Wow, Dendy, you know so much about stars. You're so smart!"

"Th-thank you," she replied.

Then she felt K.O. place his hand in hers. Immediately, Dendy turned to him.

K.O. flashed a big, toothy grin at her. Dendy smiled back and rested her head on his shoulder.

* * *

The night grew cool as K.O. and Dendy waited outside Chez Romantique for their rides. A breeze blew by, carrying the faint smell of roses with it.

"Our time together was most enjoyable, K.O." Dendy said.

"Yeah! It sure was!" K.O. replied.

Then a large, blue tank pulled up in front of the restaurant.

"Oh—there's my mommy!" K.O. laughed. "Well…I guess I'll see you later, Dendy!"

K.O. was about to dash away, but Dendy took him by the hand, stopping him in his tracks. Before he knew it, she pulled him in close and pecked him on the cheek.

"Hey, I thought friends didn't kiss each other!" he said.

Dendy's smile grew as she gazed at him. "In many countries, friendship can be expressed through a kiss on the cheek."

"Oh! Well, okay then!"

K.O. took Dendy by her shoulders.

"Mmmmmmmmmmwah! Good night, friend!" he sang.

Dendy said nothing as K.O. headed for his mother's car. She held her pink cheek and sighed.

* * *

"So, kiddo…Chez Romantique work its magic for you?" Carol asked K.O. as she drove down the street.

K.O. let out a big, long yawn as he stretched in his car seat. "Well, I wouldn't say that…" he answered, "Dendy and I agreed to keep being friends..."

"Oh! Well, alrighty, then…"

They came to a stop at a traffic light. When Carol glanced at K.O. in the passenger seat, she couldn't help but smile.

He had fallen asleep against the window, hand on his cheek.

* * *

 **And that's it! The end of "Friend Date!" Thanks so much for reading all the way to the end!**

 **And about that special surprise I have to share? _I made artworks for "Friend Date!"_ They include the story's new cover photo, scenes from the story, and sketches of KO and Dendy's _future children!_ You can check these pics out on my "skyribbonsteph" Instagram! **

**That's it for now, and check out my profile for additional info!**

 **Thanks again,**

 **~RisingStarlight**


End file.
